


Something Afoot in Frisco

by Politzania



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, Venom (Movie 2018)
Genre: Canon-Typical Violence, Gen, Young!Tony
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-10
Updated: 2020-01-10
Packaged: 2021-02-27 11:41:51
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,115
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22196473
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Politzania/pseuds/Politzania
Summary: Tony Stark is cutting loose after his first business trip to San Francisco, but after his date goes sideways, he ends up in a neighborhood bodega.  The night gets weirder from there.Tony Stark Bingo: Convenience Store
Comments: 17
Kudos: 109
Collections: Tony Stark Bingo 2020





	Something Afoot in Frisco

**Author's Note:**

> Name of Piece: Something Afoot in Frisco  
> Card Number: 3012  
> Square Number and Prompt: T2 - Convenience Store  
> Rating: General  
> Pairing: Tony & Eddie|Venom  
> Warnings: canon-typical violence  
> Summary: Tony Stark is cutting loose after his first business trip to San Francisco, but after his date goes sideways, he ends up in a neighborhood bodega. The night gets weirder from there.

Tony wasn’t lost, not exactly; more like temporarily displaced. After all, this wasn't his first time in San Francisco, although it was his first visit by himself. And because it was his first solo trip, he’d decided a little cutting loose was in order. He deserved it, after the presentation he’d given in front of the top brass. He’d answered every question they had and was certain that they’d award the contract to Stark Industries. He’d proven that he was more than just Howard Stark’s problem child -- that was certainly worth drinking to. 

Tony wasn’t really drunk, either. Just a little buzzed. Maybe more than a little. And on reflection, going home with the guy who’d picked him up at the club might not have been the best idea. Oh, they’d been having fun, alright, but he hadn’t expected the guy to pitch a fit when Tony refused to go down on him without a condom. And Tony really hadn’t expected to be shoved out of the guy’s apartment and the door to be locked after him. A door that was between him and his jacket and therefore his phone. 

At least he still had the rest of his clothes on, and his wallet in his pocket. Tony figured he could just hail a cab and head back to the hotel, catch a couple hours of sleep and be ready to fly back home in the morning with no one the wiser. But as he looked around, he realized this wasn’t exactly the kind of neighborhood where you wanted to be calling attention to yourself, even to wave down a taxi. 

He glanced down the street; the flash of an ‘Open’ sign was a welcome sight. Tony headed toward the all night bodega, or convenience store or whatever they called them around here. The street suddenly swayed under Tony’s feet -- either a minor earthquake was in progress or he was a bit worse off than he thought. He managed to trip on the threshold as he entered the store, and to cover his embarrassment, he made a beeline for the back of the store, passing the customer talking with the clerk at the counter. 

“Hey!” The clerk, an older Asian woman, called after him, “What’s wrong with you, boy? If you’re on drugs, you’re not welcome here!” 

“Don’t worry, Mrs. C. I’ll check on him,” the guy at the counter spoke up.

“Thank you, Eddie.” 

A moment later, the guy, who was apparently named Eddie, came down the aisle. He was maybe seven or eight years older than Tony, on the stocky side and kind of handsome in a rough way. To Tony’s relief, he appeared more concerned than threatening. “You okay, man?” 

Tony caught his reflection in the glass of the cooler door and he understood the clerk and Eddie’s concern. His hair was going every which way and his shirt collar was askew, showing the huge hickey on his neck. In addition, his face was pale and a little sweaty and his eyes were bloodshot and watering. “Yeah, I’m fine.” 

“You sure about that?” Eddie furrowed his brow skeptically. 

“I was on a date that went a little sideways, but I’m okay,” Tony protested. “Just need to call for a cab.” He pulled out his wallet, showing off the bills inside. “I can pay for my own way back, and I’ll buy a soda and some snacks or something. You know, to make up for the trouble.” He didn’t want Eddie to think he was some crazy homeless guy. 

Eddie gestured for Tony to put his wallet away. “You’re not from around here, are you?” he asked with a wry smile.

Before Tony could reply (or consider whether Eddie might be flirting with him), the door to the bodega slammed open and someone yelled, “Open the till and gimme all your money!” 

Tony froze and Eddie muttered, “Fuck. Not again.” He pushed Tony through a curtained doorway in the back corner of the store. “Okay, you stay back here. Don’t try to be a hero.” 

As Tony looked around the dim back room for a phone, another voice, low and guttural, asked, “HE HAS A GUN. DOES THAT MAKE HIM A BAD GUY?” 

“Hold on, V--” Eddie’s tense reply to the unknown voice was interrupted by a gunshot. Tony gasped and hunkered down against the wall. A liquid bubbling sound caught his attention; his curiosity getting the better of him, Tony cautiously peeked through the curtain. A hulking form -- too large to be human -- suddenly loomed up from between the aisles and Eddie was nowhere to be found. 

“What the fuck?!” The stickup man exclaimed, firing at the monster that strode toward him. 

“YOU SHOULD NOT HAVE SHOT US.” The monster leered, “NOW I AM ALLOWED TO EAT YOU.” It shifted to obscure Tony’s view, but not quite enough. A hoarse scream cut off suddenly as Tony barely stifled his own outcry. A wet crackle and crunch followed as the monster made use of its sharp teeth and gaping maw. Tony recoiled in horror as blood splattered across the floor between the monster’s feet, unable to tear his eyes away as it finished consuming what was left of the attempted robber. 

Tony leaned back against the wall and tried not to vomit. Maybe his date had drugged him, or he was asleep and dreaming, because what he had just seen and heard was something out of a nightmare. He pinched himself, just in case, then waited several long minutes while his pulse returned to something resembling normal. He heard that same liquid bubbling sound, followed by low murmuring, and then the front door opened and closed. 

Tony stepped cautiously back out into the store to see the clerk kneeling on the floor, a wad of paper towels in her hand as she wiped up a red smear. 

“What ... what happened?” Tony stammered. 

“Eddie dropped a bottle of ketchup and I am cleaning it up,” she replied, not looking up from her work. 

“Bullshit. That’s blood from where that .... thing... ate the guy who tried to rob you.” 

She glanced up at him with a suspiciously bland expression. “What thing? What robber?” She narrowed her eyes. “You are high. I will call a cab to take you home.” 

Tony was ready to argue -- he knew what he saw when he saw it -- but the stubborn set of Mrs. Chen’s jaw told him he wasn’t going to win. The best thing to do was to get the hell out of there. 

“I’m not high, but yes, please call a cab.” Tony reached for his wallet. “ Can I get soda, and a bag of chips, too?”


End file.
